Throughout the novel, The Leavers by Lisa Ko there are many aspects of parenthood and family. The foster care system serves many children with homes and support due to unfortunate circumstances in their family life. Comparable to Deming’s situation, his mother disappeared unexpectedly leaving everything behind, even her own son. Luckily for Deming, he had Leon, Michael and Vivian for a sense of home but eventually was placed in the foster care system. As the novel continues, the foster care system is seen in more situations including Roland and Angel, who are both minorities like Deming.
In society, there are disparities for minorities within the foster care system. On state and local levels there are different ethnic groups that are over and underrepresented. Within the child welfare system, Asian and Hispanic children are underrepresented providing less opportunities. Studies show that due to disproportionate needs of colored children, racial bias exhibited by social workers, lack of resources in the welfare system, and community circumstances could all be possible explanations for underrepresentation (childwelfare.gov).
The foster care system compels children to move from home to home, enrolling in new school districts, travelling to different cities or states, etc. There is nowhere a child can refer to as home. Children can be located between 10-30 placements in their lifetime and will always question themselves regarding their home life. Where will I go next? Will I ever reconnect with my birth parents? Will I make friends? Will I be accepted by the new family? The movement of foster children effects their personal wellbeing, especially mental health. Neurobiological research from the University of Oregon states, “The available empirical evidence suggests that placement instability and other family chaos is associated with disrupted development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex,” (Alder). The prefrontal cortex is the site of judgment and executive functioning where focus, attention, emotions, and thoughts are stored.
The challenges of the foster care system are endless and vary for each person. The harm imposed to children reinforces the need to replace protection practices with policies that support and preserve families (Roberts). All children within the system face hardships. With the effect of moving home to home and the challenge of being a person of color can only cause more stress. These sorts of stresses are seen in Deming, Roland and Angel’s life within The Leavers and allows the readers to understand what kind of background and home life the three individuals face on an everyday basis.
Resources:
Adler, Eric. “Frequent Moves Don’t Just Harm Foster Kids’ Emotions – They Hurt Their Brains.” ThrowAway Kids. The Kansas City Star, 2019. Web. 07 Oct. 2020.
Children’s Bureau. “Racial Disproportionality and Disparity in Child Welfare.” Child Welfare Information Getway. Children’s Bureau, Nov. 2016. Web.
Roberts, Dorothy. “Caseworker Files – Race And Class In The Child Welfare System | Failure To Protect | FRONTLINE.” PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 2002. Web.